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Dr. Daryl L. Thomas, senior facility medical manager for Adult Quick Care.
Thomas is board certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine. He is experienced in internal medicine, emergency medicine and occupational medicine.
1 Allergies affect more than 50 million people in the U.S. The Kansas City metro area is No. 47 on the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America’s top 100 allergy capital list. Why is this?
Areas that have a high concentration of weeds, grass, trees or mold tend to have more pollens thus higher allergies. If you couple that with high humidity, such as in the various river basins, the humidity contributes to the plant and dust mites growth. In areas with high air pollution the high carbon dioxide encourages plant growth. Climate change is also affecting growing seasons so for example ragweed has longer growing season. Other environmental factors such as temperature and wind also impact the density of allergens that create the Allergy Capitals of the country.
2 What is the new allergy treatment other than allergy shots?
Allergies are generally treated in three ways: 1. Avoidance of the allergen such as getting rid of the cat or staying inside during certain seasons. 2. Symptom treatment with such things as antihistamines, steroids and inhalers. 3. Immunotherapy which is a desensitization process in which we introduce small doses of the allergen culprit to the body and teach the body’s immune system to not react. Immunotherapy can be accomplished via a shot called subcutaneous immunotherapy or under the tongue called sublingual immunotherapy. SLIT is often considered new therapy but it has actually been available since the 1900s in the U.S. and is the primary therapy in Europe.
3 How did this new form of treatment come about?
Sublingual immunotherapy is not new in fact in the 1800s, doctors reported North American Indians chewing small amounts of poison ivy leaf to prevent the rash reactions. The first formal attempt at desensitization by mouth was in 1900 by a New York physician H.H. Curtis who was treating hay fever by placing pollen antigen drops in the patient’s mouth. In 1905 German doctors used the same approach to desensitize infants allergic to cow's milk.
4 What are the advantages of SLIT over allergy shots?
The research shows SLIT to be safe and effective for both adults and children. SLIT research shows that drops are safer compared to shots which have a higher risk of fatal anaphylactic reactions. SLIT is more convenient because the individual can self administer the drops and does not need take time away from work or home to go into a physician’s office. Even though the individual pays for the drops, the overall cost of the therapy is less because the patient does not have to pay for frequent office visits which are required to obtain the shots. For some, it is even cheaper than symptom treatment when you add the multiple over the counter and prescription medications and time lost from work due to feeling miserable.
5 Where is this treatment available other that Adult Quick Care?
In addition to Adult Quick Care, SLIT is also available at ENT Associates of Greater Kansas City. Adult Quick Care is the only provider of Allergidrops which is a universal allergen program.
Dr. Daryl L. Thomas, senior facility medical manager for Adult Quick Care.
Thomas is board certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine. He is experienced in internal medicine, emergency medicine and occupational medicine.
1 Allergies affect more than 50 million people in the U.S. The Kansas City metro area is No. 47 on the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America’s top 100 allergy capital list. Why is this?
Areas that have a high concentration of weeds, grass, trees or mold tend to have more pollens thus higher allergies. If you couple that with high humidity, such as in the various river basins, the humidity contributes to the plant and dust mites growth. In areas with high air pollution the high carbon dioxide encourages plant growth. Climate change is also affecting growing seasons so for example ragweed has longer growing season. Other environmental factors such as temperature and wind also impact the density of allergens that create the Allergy Capitals of the country.
2 What is the new allergy treatment other than allergy shots?
Allergies are generally treated in three ways: 1. Avoidance of the allergen such as getting rid of the cat or staying inside during certain seasons. 2. Symptom treatment with such things as antihistamines, steroids and inhalers. 3. Immunotherapy which is a desensitization process in which we introduce small doses of the allergen culprit to the body and teach the body’s immune system to not react. Immunotherapy can be accomplished via a shot called subcutaneous immunotherapy or under the tongue called sublingual immunotherapy. SLIT is often considered new therapy but it has actually been available since the 1900s in the U.S. and is the primary therapy in Europe.
3 How did this new form of treatment come about?
Sublingual immunotherapy is not new in fact in the 1800s, doctors reported North American Indians chewing small amounts of poison ivy leaf to prevent the rash reactions. The first formal attempt at desensitization by mouth was in 1900 by a New York physician H.H. Curtis who was treating hay fever by placing pollen antigen drops in the patient’s mouth. In 1905 German doctors used the same approach to desensitize infants allergic to cow's milk.
4 What are the advantages of SLIT over allergy shots?
The research shows SLIT to be safe and effective for both adults and children. SLIT research shows that drops are safer compared to shots which have a higher risk of fatal anaphylactic reactions. SLIT is more convenient because the individual can self administer the drops and does not need take time away from work or home to go into a physician’s office. Even though the individual pays for the drops, the overall cost of the therapy is less because the patient does not have to pay for frequent office visits which are required to obtain the shots. For some, it is even cheaper than symptom treatment when you add the multiple over the counter and prescription medications and time lost from work due to feeling miserable.
5 Where is this treatment available other that Adult Quick Care?
In addition to Adult Quick Care, SLIT is also available at ENT Associates of Greater Kansas City. Adult Quick Care is the only provider of Allergidrops which is a universal allergen program.
